Whiskey Review: Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7

So recently I was spending time with a few old friends. The topic of what we do outside of work and family lives came up, and when I said I wrote for a whiskey blog there was sudden silence. And of course the next round of questions began of what is the best whiskey, and what is my favorite. I had some opinions, and then a question I didn’t expect came along in the form of of “how does it compare to Jack?”

Now I certainly have had plenty of time with my friend Jack, mostly in my ill spent youth and as a mix base. We spent a week together after a bitter divorce, and days better forgotten as a partier past my prime. But for the life of me I couldn’t look at my friends and say that I had ever taken a critical eye and reviewed the Old No. 7. So in the interest of being transparent and to satisfy my own curiosity, I went out and purchased a bottle of Jack Daniel’s.

I am sure that all of us seasoned connoisseurs know this sour mash Tennessee whiskey quite well. Born in Lynchburg Tennessee, a dry county, and bottled at 80 proof. Corn mash filtered through charcoal, 10 feet of sugar maple charcoal to be precise. Jack is ageless (no age statement) whiskey, but it is matured in newly charred white oak barrels.

Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 is the original JD, and here’s what I think of it.

Tasting Notes:

Color- Medium amber

Nose- butterscotch, smoke, vanilla, light caramel, hint of toffee

Palette- butterscotch, heat, wood and smoke, pepper, smooth

Finish- sweet, a bite that smooths out quickly, vanilla caramel and a touch of oak

Conclusion:

There is more to my old friend Jack Daniels than I remember from my twenty-somethings. Time has changed me, but Jack is still the same, and I appreciate him more. Like my real friends who called me out on this, thank you for helping me keep it real and staying in touch with my roots. As I gladly walk down this old road with you, I learn more about you, me and Mr. Daniels.